Spirits Dancing (Paperback)

Travis Novitsky

ISBN 10: 1681341123 / ISBN 13: 9781681341125

Editore: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2023

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Paperback. An exploration of human connection to the aurora, the Milky Way, and the wonder of the universe above us, with gorgeous photographs by a master photographer. For millennia, humans have marveled at the night sky: the wonder of the aurora, the glory of the Milky Way, and the peace that comes with stargazing. In this remarkable book, Travis Novitsky's photographs portray these marvels, while astrophysicist Annette S. Lee discusses how Western science and Indigenous knowledge can work together to provide a deeper understanding of our place in the universe. Novitsky has been photographing the night sky for decades, and his vibrant images reflect and transmit the experiences he has had under the night sky. Astrophysicist and artist Annette S. Lee has been teaching about the stars and creating art that shows them for more than 30 years. She provides a brief but thorough overview of how Western science explains the aurora, from the 17th-century astronomers who first studied sunspots to the 21st-century acoustic scientist who recorded their sounds. Lee also presents examples of the ways Indigenous skywatchers have seen the sky and our place in it. Both authors write of the wonders of starbathing: sitting quietly under the stars, knowing that humans have always done this, knowing that we literally come from the stars. Working together in this remarkable book, they bring the aurora to readers. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Codice articolo 9781681341125

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Spirits Dancing (Paperback)
• Editore: Minnesota Historical Society Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2023
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 1681341123
• ISBN 13: 9781681341125
• Rilegatura: Paperback
• Condizione: new

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

An exploration of human connection to the aurora, the Milky Way, and the wonder of the universe above us, with gorgeous photographs by a master photographer.

For millennia, humans have marveled at the night sky: the wonder of the aurora, the glory of the Milky Way, and the peace that comes with stargazing. In this remarkable book, Travis Novitsky’s photographs portray these marvels, while astrophysicist Annette S. Lee discusses how Western science and Indigenous knowledge can work together to provide a deeper understanding of our place in the universe.

Novitsky has been photographing the night sky for decades, and his vibrant images reflect and transmit the experiences he has had under the night sky. Astrophysicist and artist Annette S. Lee has been teaching about the stars and creating art that shows them for more than 30 years. She provides a brief but thorough overview of how Western science explains the aurora, from the 17th-century astronomers who first studied sunspots to the 21st-century acoustic scientist who recorded their sounds. Lee also presents examples of the ways Indigenous skywatchers have seen the sky and our place in it.

Both authors write of the wonders of starbathing: sitting quietly under the stars, knowing that humans have always done this, knowing that we literally come from the stars. Working together in this remarkable book, they bring the aurora to readers.

Estratto. © Ristampato con autorizzazione. Tutti i diritti riservati.

The connection between the aurora and dancing spirit lights comes directly from the Ojibwe phrase Jiibayag Niimi’idiway, which refers to the northern lights or aurora borealis. Jiibayag translates as spirit and Niimi’idiway translates as they dance. (Another Ojibwe word for the northern lights is Waawaate—There is a display of the northern lights.) This concept relates to the Ojibwe teaching about the Milky Way or Jiibay Ziibi, River of Souls. As explained by Ojibwe scholar and elder Carl Gawboy, "When the soul departs, it travels a path to the west . . . after other trials the soul comes to a great shining river, one whose reflection can be seen in the night sky . . . the Milky Way." Carl shares teachings given to him by his father and expanded on by decades of scholarly research. The Ojibwe understanding of the Milky Way relates to the spirit returning to the stars along the Jiibay Ziibi. Carl describes this further. "The soul gets in a waiting canoe and paddles the river to the great beyond . . . [and] greets all the friends and relatives. . . . When we look up at the night sky and see the northern lights, it is our relatives—my father—dancing." Clearly in the Ojibwe perception of both the Jiibay Ziibi and the Jiibayag Niimi’idiway, the core understanding is not what can be measured or recorded, but that which is fundamental to human nature, the spiritual journey.